Frontier Airlines, long synonymous with bare-bones ultra-low-cost flying, is about to look rather different. The Denver-based carrier has opened bookings for a genuine First Class cabin, with the first flights saleable for travel from 5 March 2027.
The new cabin occupies the front two rows of its Airbus jets in a 2-2 layout - eight seats per aircraft. Expect leather upholstery, extra cushioning, a 37-inch seat pitch and more recline than the rest of the plane. Don't expect lie-flat beds, though; this is a narrowbody domestic product, closer in comfort to a good long-haul premium economy seat than a flat bed up front.
Access comes via Frontier's new First bundle, which starts at $129 one-way. That price covers the seat itself, two checked bags, a carry-on and priority boarding - notable, given bag fees are usually where low-cost carriers claw back their cheap headline fares.
The front cabin is only part of a wider cabin overhaul. Rows three to eight will gain extra legroom of up to 34 inches of pitch, while the airline's existing UpFront Plus rows block the middle seat to create an effective 2-2 layout in a 3-3 cabin. That premium bundle starts at $90 one-way and includes a carry-on and priority boarding. Further back, USB-C in-seat power will be fitted to the first eight rows of every jet, with installations rolling out through 2027.
Connectivity is the other big change. Starlink Wi-Fi, announced in July 2026, will begin appearing on Frontier aircraft in 2027, putting the airline alongside United, Qatar Airways, Air France and Emirates, which have also adopted the satellite system. Pricing and speeds haven't been confirmed yet. Frontier is part of a larger group rollout too: parent portfolio Indigo Partners plans Starlink across Wizz Air, Volaris, JetSMART and Cebu Pacific, covering more than 1,000 aircraft in total.
For travellers, the upshot is straightforward. If you fly US domestic routes and have always chosen Frontier for price but winced at the seat, there will soon be a middle path: a real premium cabin at a fraction of legacy-carrier first class fares, with bundles that finally include bags and boarding perks. Since every Frontier aircraft is an Airbus A320-family jet - mostly young A320neos and A321neos - the product should appear widely across its network rather than on a handful of routes. Bookings are live now for travel on or after 5 March 2027.
Story via Simple Flying.
